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More Than One Night
Ashley Cade
Prologue
Melody
My husband is fucking one of his students.
I knew the moment the pretty young thing in the front row turned a ghostly shade of white and bolted from the lecture hall once she realized who I was. My stomach knotted, and I cradled my hands over my protruding belly as my son gave my ribs a nudge with his heel. It was as though he was reminding me in that moment of his presence, so I didn’t chase her down and claw her eyes out. A physical altercation in the third trimester was not part of my birthing plan.
Still, I plastered on a fake smile and let him place a chaste kiss on my cheek. I wasn’t about to let the impending confrontation play out in front of his class even though I could read the pity in their eyes. Most of them wouldn’t meet my gaze. They all knew—or at least suspected—he was having an affair. He made me look like a fool. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. I held my head up high, saving all my wrath for when he came home.
Some of that rage dissipated when he walked through the door that evening and broke down, rubbing his watery eyes beneath his glasses. He begged and pleaded for me to forgive him, claiming he’d had a moment of weakness and hadn’t warded off her advances. She’d flirted with him all semester, and though he tried to keep his distance, she cornered him in his office. He was stressed and lonely and gave in to temptation. But it only happened once.
What a crock of shit.
Don’t get me wrong, I believed him at first. At least, I wanted to believe him, but there was doubt taking up root in the back of my mind. My fears were confirmed when I bumped into his mistress on the street one day. She told me everything from how he’d pursued her to how he’d erased me from his life on campus. He made it seem as though he was unattached and not about to bring a child into the world. It was as though I had never existed. I was glad I'd surprised him that day. Otherwise, I might have never learned of his infidelity.
Sadly, she wasn’t the only one. He was messing around with another student and at least one other professor. His colleague contacted me after learning about his forced sabbatical and told me everything, apologizing profusely because she didn’t know he was married.
The betrayal stung, but it wasn’t the predominant emotion. I was furious. With so many affairs, he not only put my health at risk, but the health of our unborn son as well. He claimed he’d been safe, but he’d lied about so much already, I didn’t know if I could believe him. There was no way I’d ever be able to trust him again. There was only one solution to this problem. With rage boiling in my veins and a heart shattered into a million pieces, I contacted a lawyer.
The day our divorce was final, I held the only piece of Jason Barrett I still cherished close to my chest. Our six-month-old son looked up at me with wonder in his eyes as though he was thanking me for making the decision to leave. It was best that way. At least he wouldn’t remember this. He wouldn’t know that his father fought me tooth and nail through the entire thing. Jason didn’t want to give me up, so he tried to make it impossible for me to leave, but I did it. Even if it meant moving myself and my infant son in with my parents while I got back on my feet as I fought him for every dollar of child support; it was worth it. Now I was free to move on.
Chapter 1
Melody
“Welcome to Willow Brook Falls.”
The sign lining the road into town was exactly what you’d picture from a Hallmark movie. Or the Vampire Diaries. Every small Southern town had one. It was part of the charm. Glancing in the rearview mirror, I saw that Elijah was still asleep, slumped over in his booster seat with his chin resting on his chest. I’d cried the day I removed his car seat and replaced it with the booster. It was the last vestige of his babyhood—if that was even a word—and I hadn’t been ready to let go. I wanted to keep him little forever. I already dreaded him going to kindergarten at the end of summer, but we didn’t really have a choice. He was already enrolled at Willow Brook Falls Elementary, and at five-years-old, it was time to start school.
I’d registered him after accepting my grandparents’ offer to move down here and help them revamp their business. They owned a bed and breakfast along with a few rentals in town and down by the lake. My grandmother had always kept the books, but her arthritis was getting worse. She could barely hold a pencil with the way her fingers curved. She was old school and had resisted the change over to electronic accounting and booking software, but my aunt, who managed the rentals, finally talked her into taking the leap and going digital a few years ago. Now, she struggled to type, and the pain had become too much for her to continue to work.
That was where I came in. Though interior design was my true passion, I had a penchant for numbers and a minor in accounting. Both skill sets would come in handy working for my grandparents considering their properties were in desperate need of being updated. The inn hadn’t changed since the nineties. Cream colored wallpaper dotted with red apples could be found in the kitchen with matching border that extended into the dining room. So much for preserving the authenticity of the 1890s Victorian house. At least she’d done away with the vomit green carpet someone had the audacity to install in the early eighties and had all the hardwood floors restored.
I would lend not only my bookkeeping skills, but also my eye for design to spruce the place up over the summer. As an added bonus, I’d get to spend more time with my son before he started school, and he’d finally get to know his great-grandparents. He’d only seen them in person a handful of times. Video chats and phone calls weren’t enough for them to form the kind of bond I had with them. I spent many summers with them during my childhood, and those were the happiest moments of my life. I wanted the same for him.
Luckily, Jason (my cheating ex) didn't fight me too hard on the move. It was only a few hours away. He’d get Eli every other week during the summer. Our arrangement would be tricky once school started. We’d go back to our previous schedule of every other weekend, but he’d rarely have him for longer than a few days unless it was during his holiday or a long break. I wasn’t sure how much he’d care, though, considering he was living the bachelor life he’d clearly wanted when we were married.
Our relationship was much more amicable than it had been immediately following our divorce. We were now at a point where we could co-parent peacefully, and I didn’t want to throat punch him every time he spoke. His eyes still filled with regret at times like he realized how much he'd lost, but he had his chance. He had multiple chances, actually. Because Taylor hadn’t been the first, and I’d already forgiven him once. I wasn’t about to risk a third go around.
I pulled up to the bed and breakfast and took in the sight. It was just as I remembered. White siding, large wrap-around porch, and a round turret, the very top of which housed my reading nook. I’d spent so many days in that haven with my books and toys. I hoped my grandparents hadn’t changed it so my son could experience it just as I had.
“We’re here, buddy,” I said as I leaned into the back seat to retrieve my still sleeping son. “It’s time to wake up.” His eyes fluttered open briefly when I lifted him, but quickly fell closed again once he was cradled against my chest. His head fell against my shoulder as his arms came around my neck. I took a moment to savor his embrace, breathing in his scent as I held him tight. He was growing so fast. I wanted to take time to enjoy the little things because they would be gone before I knew it.
“There she is,” my grandpa announced as he stepped off the porch. My grandmother trotted beside him, arms open and ready to pull me into an embrace. They must’ve seen me pull up. Knowing my grandma, she’d probably been watching from the window all morning.
“My sweet girl,” my grandmother crooned, kissing me on the cheek. “I’ve missed you so much.” Tears unexpectedly welled in my eyes. No one had ever made me feel as loved as she did. Maribelle Matthews was the epitome of grandmotherly love and affection, and it had been too long since I’d been wrapped in that warm embrace.
“Let’s see this big, strong fella you have in your arms,” my grandfather boomed, his gruff voice commanding and comforting at the same time. He was a large, boisterous man with a gentle heart and kind soul.
I turned so they could see Elijah’s face. He blinked up at them and lifted his head. It had been nearly two years since he’d seen them in person, but since we video chatted with them sometimes, he recognized them instantly.
“Grampy, Grammy,” he chirped excitedly. My grandma reached for him, and he eagerly went to her. He rested his head on her plump bosom, and she stroked his hair as she rocked him back and forth. It was sweet reassurance that I’d made the right decision for us. There was no looking back. We were where we were meant to be.
Chapter 2
